Expectations
by JustClem
Summary: Pyrrha is expected to do many things, to be many kinds of people. It drives her forward on some days, but on other days such as today, it suffocates her. Thankfully, Ruby is there to remind her that it's okay to be less than perfect. To be human.


**I've noticed recently that I haven't had the motivation to write RWBY fics anymore, and start to gravitate more towards LiS. I know 90% of my readers are fans of me because I write RWBY, so I'm trying to change that.**

**I think the main problem here has to do with the pairings in my stories. Writing Bumblebee and White Rose over and over again can get a little stale, so I'd like to try and spice things up a bit by pairing Pyrrha and Ruby.**

**Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

Pyrrha excels at all aspects of fighting.

She is good at using her spear to slice, her rifle to shoot, and her shield to block.

She is equally good at using her shield to slice, her sword to block or throw, and her gun to… well, she, fortunately, hasn't had any encounters that forces her to use her rifle for anything other than shooting.

And that's not all she's good at.

Keeping a cool head. not letting emotions dictate actions. Figuring out an opponent's weaknesses. Figuring out how to use those weaknesses to her advantage. Using the environment around her to help achieve victory. Excelling in short, middle, and far range. Able to defend and attack with or without weapons. Never misusing her semblance. Always keeping an element of surprise.

She's good at all of that, and more.

She is what others strive to be, what everyone uses as an example, what is considered to be the truest Huntress.

It doesn't help that she's polite, humble, and never really holds any distaste towards anything. Why should she? Anger is poison.

Everyone considers her to be perfect.

Everyone never stops and really looks at her as something other than the perfection they think she is.

And it's… fine. She's used to it. She's okay with it. She's fortunate to be where she is. She appreciates what she has.

She's lucky.

* * *

It had been a really interesting team meeting. And hour. And day.

And, perhaps if she were a more impolite person, she'd swap the word 'interesting' with 'bad' or other negative adjectives. But she isn't. Chivalry is important.

And, really, it's no big deal.

Sure, someone bumped into her this morning, making her drop her lunch tray and the cheddar she'd been looking forward for two weeks, and when she tried to get another, the cheddar was all gone.

And, yes, perhaps she'd gotten a question wrong on a test, which resulted in her having an A instead of her usual A+.

Oh, and maybe Nora was being especially rambunctious today, and Jaune was fretting about how to make Weiss like him, and Ren was too tired to really deal with Nora, much less Jaune, so that left her to do damage control...

It had been an interesting day.

And Pyrrha needs some time to herself, to ponder in on things, to escape the business of everything, the loudness of everyone.

It's why she finds herself walking around the hallway surrounded by empty classes, at night, by herself.

Pyrrha soon finds that she's not one-hundred percent correct; she isn't alone, because she hears a noise, not far from where she stands.

It echoes, and is muted, but she isn't robotic enough not to know what she's listening to; music, and a small voice, humming, following that music.

Pyrrha doesn't tilt her head, or raise her eyebrow, or make a noise of confusion. Her chest is heavy. Each step she's taken is heavy. And she wishes to be alone, for once, without people watching, judging, and expecting something from her.

She sighs. She walks to the wall, leans her back against it, and lets her body crumble.

She's fine, though. Everything is fine. She's just… under the weather. Yes. She's overworked, and her body needs rest.

That's what this is; physical exhaustion.

She hides her face in her knees and her arm that hugs her knees. She closes her eyes and pretends the world doesn't exist.

The music, distant, still trails and echoes.

The person who sings it is… endearing. She hums and whispers and doesn't really make any words, doesn't try to follow the lyrics. Her voice is… nice. Not perfect, but nice, like how gardens are nice in a spacious, colorful way.

Her chest becomes less heavy. Her head isn't all jumbled up and thinks a thousand thoughts per second. She's… lighter, clearer.

The music stops. Only a foggy part of her realises it.

She hears footsteps, but doesn't quite realise it.

She hears a squeaky gasp, and a confused "Pyrrha?!", and that's when she realises what's happening.

Pyrrha looks up, finding a short figure, with a red headphone attached to their ear, and a red cloak glued to their shoulder, flowing down freely to the ground, gently played by the air, like the petals of a red rose.

"Ruby?" Pyrrha blinks, and she's back in character by putting on a polite smile, standing up, careful to be gesture with each and every movement. She has to be graceful. She has to be perfect. "I apologize, I did not realize-"

"Have you been crying?"

Pyrrha's cheeks rush with blood, and she places a finger on her cheek, to check if it were true.

"I-"

"Umm, sorry!" Ruby squeaks, lowering her headphone, resting it around her neck. Even in this low lightning, Pyrrha can see her blush. It's a nice blush. Pyrrha finds herself drawn to it and the way it highlights her round, smooth cheeks. "That was rude of me! It's just that- I always know when someone's crying…" Ruby trails into a chuckle, rubbing her neck, looking down. She's quite expressive. Genuine. It's refreshing to see.

Ruby looks at her, her grin fading. "I… Are you okay?"

It's automatic. Pyrrha's response, along with her smile. "Why yes, I'm splendid."

Ruby looks at her, biting her lip. It looks like she's seeing something that bothers her. Pyrrha doesn't have a clue what it might be. She has, so far, been adequate.

Ruby sighs, her body slumping, making her appear shorter, smaller, less like the Huntress she's destined to be and more like the teenage girl that she is. "Look, Pyrrha… I know we're not, like, super close, like Ren and Nora close, I mean, but… we're friends, right?"

At that, Pyrrha's practised smile falters. Why would Ruby ask that? Their teams are acquaintances, so of course, they, personally, are too. "Of course we are."

Ruby nods, but the glint in her eyes tell Pyrrha that she has something important to say. Something that Pyrrha, apparently, missed. "So… you know, Yang always tells me that friends tell each other about their days and stuff…"

Ruby perks up, her eyes seemingly gaining more reflective light. Her feet makes this barely-noticeable jumping movement. She points a finger. "No judging, too! That's the rules." Ruby said it with a frown and a smile, and it brings a tired, honest smile from Pyrrha, one that tugs Ruby's smile an inch or two higher.

Ruby coughs, and brushes the wrinkles in her dress- sorry, _combat skirt_, as an act of self-composure. She looks at Pyrrha, and the cheery demeanour she is known for dims. "So… do you want to tell me about your maybe, kind of, definitely bad day?"

Pyrrha looks at Ruby. Ruby, who is genuine. Ruby, who is the only person not to judge her, and admire her not because of her fame or looks, but because of her personality, her likes and dislikes. Ruby admires her for _her_. Just as how she admires everyone else. Ruby, who… she never really puts any time and effort to truly befriend. Ruby, who she wishes she's closer to. The closest, perhaps.

Pyrrha's eyes drift away, staring at the locker in front of her. Some of the heaviness that haunted her before, throughout the day, returns.

"I… I'm sorry, but no."

"Oh." A small pause. "That's okay!"

A shuffle. A squeak, as boots make contact with the floor. A thud, as a weight drops down besides her.

Pyrrha looks.

Ruby is there, unbothered, calm, wearing a small smile, looking straight ahead, propping her head with her hands, her legs straightened. "I guess we're chilling here, now." Another, smaller pause. "And don't apologize, Pyr."

It's not a request, or an offer. It's a statement.

It's a touching statement.

Pyrrha doesn't smile. That doesn't mean she's unhappy. "Perhaps."

"Cool."

It's quiet, same as before. Only, it's nicer now. Far nicer. Pyrrha has someone to share the silence with.

"Listen, um, I know we don't hang out and stuff, but… I really like you, Pyrrha." Pyrrha blinks, turning her head. Ruby is looking straight at her, her fingers dancing around the hem of her clothing fabric, playing with it. Ruby, blushing, is unrelenting. "You're super cool, talented, and you're really nice. It's… I know people want you to be this amazing, perfect girl who always has her stuff together but…" she gives a small shrug, "it's okay for you not to be, you know."

Such simplistic words.

Such a message.

Such meaning.

It's as though Pyrrha has entered a new world entirely. A world where she's not the beautiful, graceful, talented, perfect gladiator Pyrrha Nikos. A world where she's just Pyrrha.

Pyrrha would like to get to know this world better.

She would like to spend time in it, live in it, and do it forever.

"I… thank you, Ruby… Thank you. How do you…" Pyrrha retraces. "If I may ask, how do you know this?"

Ruby's eyebrows knit down and her nose scrunches. Her head tilts, and dark hair sways with the motion. It's endearing, how attentive she is. "What?"

"The… expectations."

Pyrrha can't bring herself to say more. It appears she doesn't need to, as a flash of understanding crosses Ruby's eyes, making her look older, wiser, and… more beautiful.

"You're not the only one who has a bunch of people thinking you're special."

… Oh. That's right. How could she have forgotten?

Ruby Rose. The daughter of two great Hunters and Huntresses. The prodigy. The scythe mistress. The daughter of two powerful, legendary huntresses. The girl who was accepted at Beacon - the most prestigious combat school in all of Remnant - at the age of fifteen. The leader of her team.

The child who, undeniably, is weighted by expectations on her shoulders. Just like her.

How could Pyrrha have never noticed?

How could she have been so blind, so unaware of the similarities, the parallels, the struggles Ruby must've endured all this time?

Pyrrha finds herself unable to look away from the anomaly, the enigma, the strong and the cheerful and the exhaustion that is Ruby Rose.

Ruby pulls her Scroll from her pocket, opens it, and winces. "Yaiks. It's super late. Like, _way_ past my bedtime."

"Should we go back to the dorms?" Pyrrha sours as the suggestion leaves her mouth. She's not sure why.

Ruby looks at her, pocketing her Scroll. It's immediate, to Pyrrha, what she wants. "Do you want to?"

"It's late." A pause. "... No."

Ruby smiles, like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. Pyrrha likes that smile. She likes every one of Ruby's smile, except for the bitter and fake ones. She wants to see more of Ruby's smiles.

"Me too."

* * *

**This started from 12th May, 11: 02 until 16th May, 14:17. In the same year, of course.**

**So… Yeah, it's actually really fun to write these two pairing. This story doesn't have a kiss, but… it's still romance, right? I mean, it sure as heck ain't friendship, that's for sure.**

**If we're being real here, this actually has a decent potential to be more than just a one-shot. Just sayin'.**


End file.
